And figurative houses in America. What is a "typical American home interior"? Trees - additional costs
The dream of the average American is not an apartment in Manhattan in a skyscraper with floor-to-ceiling windows and a view of Central Park. The average American dreams of owning a home: with a manicured lawn in front of him, a treehouse for his five children, garages for his pickup trucks, and a basement with a pool table and a toy railroad. What should you be prepared for when owning a house in the USA and what are the differences from owning a house here?
You need to pay an annual property tax
And compared to us, significant! The newer and more expensive your home, naturally, the more tax you will have to pay on it, because the tax is calculated as a percentage of the assessed value of the home. Cheat the system and buy an old house in good area to minimize taxes will not work: even an old house in a good area it will not be cheap, and the tax will not be calculated based on initial cost home, but on the purchase price.
The average US tax rate is 1.2% of assessed value, meaning if your home is worth $250,000, you'll pay $3,000 per year. Whether you rent a home, take out a loan, or own it, you pay taxes. If you pay rent, the tax is included in the rent, and if you own a home, you pay the tax yourself.
You can't make noise in the house
You can, of course, if your house stands alone in a field of corn or crowns an abandoned winding road in the forest on a mountainside. If you live in a respectable area with decent neighbors, then most likely buy “stadium” sound equipment and throw a party in the style American films for high school students you will have problems. How can this be, after all, this is my house, I do what I want in it, and in general, what kind of house is this, through the walls of which loud music can be heard?
Well, first of all, almost all houses are in the States plywood. Have you seen how american houses blown away by a hurricane somewhere on the Florida coast? So, houses in the northern United States, in the snowiest region near the Great Lakes, are made of the same plywood and their sound insulation is so-so. If your neighbor decides that the noise level is interfering with his privacy in his home, he can report it to the police. Legal force this appeal will have even if you make noise not to spite him, but “unintentionally” or “carelessly”.
The lawn in front of the house needs to be mowed
What if I want there to be a high grass? - you may ask. It depends on local city regulations and, perhaps, somewhere they allow you to have a corner of wild nature in front of your house, with prairie grass, wildflowers and gopher holes. However, most likely city laws will require you to regularly cut the grass in front of your house. How will the authorities know about this? Yours the neighbors will immediately inform the authorities, that you don't do this.
If you forgot to cut the grass in front of your house, then, most likely, they won’t even quarrel with you, call you to a party activist and lecture you. The local authorities will simply send someone to cut the grass in front of your house, and you then they will bill you for it. The only way to bypass this regulation is to arrange in front of the house flower bed or small Botanical Garden. Then you won't have to mow the lawn, but you will have to take care of the garden.
Snow needs to be cleared in front of the house
You now know that you need to mow your lawn regularly, but then winter came and everything was covered with snow. Hey! You no longer have to worry about cleaning the area. But it was not there! If in the summer you are responsible for your own lawn, but in the winter you are also responsible for the public paths adjacent to your house, which need to be regularly cleared of snow.
In state NY For example, homeowners are responsible for clearing snow from all walkways and sidewalks adjacent to their home so that they are safe for pedestrians.
Not only that, if there is a bus stop or fire hydrant in front of your property, you will have to regularly clear snow and ice from the walkways immediately adjacent to them. Each state's regulations are different, but don't be surprised if you see these requirements.
You can't fence the house
Again, this is not always the case and there are exceptions, but most likely restrictions on the use of land will not allow you to build a blank fence around your house. Very often, a house cannot be fenced at all - neither with a fence, nor a fence, nor even a hedge of dense bushes. These restrictions are stipulated by “conditions for the use of land” or “covenants” even if you own the land.
For that matter, the conditions of land use can stipulate anything: what size the house should be, what materials should be used, on which side the air conditioner should be, and even what color the walls should be!
The purpose of such restrictions is to preserve the “atmosphere” of the entire area and, accordingly, land cost. They appeared in the 19th century as agreements between neighbors so that, for example, cattle would not enter private territory. By the 1920s, covenants began to specify requirements for appearance and neatness of houses. These days they are accepted by homeowners associations and are very difficult to ignore.
What is it like to have a home in America? Part 2
I continue my story about the nuances and surprises associated with owning a home in the United States. Every average American dreams of owning a home, and for America this is quite a “lifting” dream. However, we must not forget that the United States is a very regulated country and there are many rules, responsibilities and even prohibitions associated with the process of buying and owning a home. What should you be prepared for when owning a house in the USA and how does all this differ from what we have here?
Trees - additional costs
Near your house there is a spreading hundred-year-old maple tree that fits perfectly into the yard landscape. Its green crown protects the flower garden from the scorching sun and provides pleasant shade for children playing on the lawn.
However, with the arrival of autumn, the beautiful hundred-year-old maple under the house can turn into a real burden. Already in September, red-yellow foliage begins to cover the lawn near the house, which adds to the work of caring for the territory. You have to remove leaves much more often than cut the grass, but you still need to do it regularly. You are not legally obligated to remove leaves, but you are responsible for the safety of adjacent sidewalks, and if someone slips on wet leaves near your home, you could be sued.
By certain days"autumn gold" is taken away by a garbage truck, but for this the foliage must be collected in special paper bags, which you need to buy at the supermarket. Leaves that are not packaged or packaged properly will not be collected by scavengers. Burning leaves, even on your own territory, is strictly prohibited, so the lucky owners of trees have only one option: fork out for a huge number of bags for leaves.
"Competitive" house decorations
Don't want to catch the reproachful glances of your neighbors? Remember that for every holiday, you need to decorate your home and yard with themed attributes. No, this is not required by law and it most likely will not be spelled out in the “conditions of land use” (although it doesn’t hurt to check), however, all Americans decorate their property before every holiday.
Local stores contribute to this in every possible way and offer wide choose decor for every taste and budget. Americans are like children Every year they buy more and more new ones themed home decorations, trying to outdo the neighbors. Glowing deer and garlands for Christmas, cute rabbits and bright eggs for Easter, skeletons entangled in cobwebs, the bats and pumpkins for Halloween - they will replace one another like soldiers on guard near the White House.
You, of course, may not participate in this race, but you need to remember that Americans can be distrustful of those who do not support their traditions, and decorating houses is a peculiar American tradition, like a turkey on the Christmas table.
Strict rules for garbage collection
The municipality is responsible for garbage collection. Typically, city authorities hold a tender for the provision of these services, and then the winning private company serves a specific area or the entire city on behalf of municipal authorities. The tender specification usually states General requirements for waste collection, and detailed rules are then published by the contractor.
And now you need to read the rules of garbage companies carefully, Otherwise, your trash may not be collected or you may be charged for cleaning. Firstly, there will most likely be requirements for where, how and when to place garbage cans, for example they “must be in a packing area, near the road, with their handles facing the street (but not on the street) every Thursday at 8 am.” Secondly, there is a list of what can be thrown away and what cannot. For example, we have lamps, vacuum cleaners and toasters, but tables, chests of drawers and baby strollers are not allowed, but for a microwave, children's toys and a water cooler they charge an additional fee.
Your home may not be all "yours"
A townhouse is an excellent intermediate solution between an apartment and a house. You already have a separate entrance, your own territory with a lawn and a barbecue, there are no neighbors above or below, but you still don’t have to deal with removing snow and leaves from adjacent sidewalks and mowing lawns. This will be done Management Company. The townhouse can be purchased and it will belong to you as if it were your own home.
However, very often, even if you own a townhouse, you may not have control over any of its areas and may not be able to change much. For example, you may not have access to the basement, where the Technical equipment, or an attic that may even be empty. I'm not even talking about the ventilation, air conditioning, heating systems, and even more so about the appearance of the townhouse.
You can’t grow vegetables or keep animals for fattening.
Again, regulations are different everywhere and if you grow basil in your backyard and keep a couple of rabbits, it may not attract anyone's attention. However, if you plant tomatoes two meters high, set up a system drip irrigation, build a chicken coop and have pigs - you can’t avoid problems. Recently a home owner from Oak Park, Michigan sentenced to 93 days in prison for planting a vegetable garden in front of her house.
It’s difficult to even say unequivocally what you can break - there are so many things! Firstly, you may violate municipal zoning requirements - they clearly define what you can do on your territory and what you cannot. Secondly, your land lease agreement or condominium rules may prohibit you from setting up a “farm” in your home. And finally, homeowners association regulations can dictate any restrictions that they believe affect the value of real estate in the area.
Which of the above worries you most? Or does everything seem logical and necessary to you? With which of the above restrictions would you not even like the house?
10 disadvantages of living in the USA that piss me off
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A typical house is not only " standard project", popular in America, but also a home that the average American family can afford. For an example, I went to a real estate website and looked for houses within a 30-mile radius around me.
Photo Depositphotos
By the way, I searched for a long time because the photos are bad. Americans don’t really bother taking photographs, since everyone roughly knows what’s inside. You'll still have to go and see. I have selected a couple of houses costing up to $200 thousand, and using them as examples I will tell you about a typical American house.
The ad text 3 Bed, 3 Bath means that the house has 3 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms with toilets. And besides this there is a living room, utility room, garage.
The most common house design in the USA. Photo realtor.com
I lived in almost one of these and know the structure of the house well. On the right is a garage for 2 cars, and the garage is quite long and spacious. On the left is the entrance and a small porch. A tiny front garden, by default the builders plant rose hips there. We go into the house.
The hall in the house is the default. Photo realtor.com
On the left is the entrance door, immediately from it there is a staircase to the second floor. In the hall there are windows overlooking the “front yard,” that is, the area in front of the house. In the first photo, these are the same windows to the left of the front door, are you oriented?
If we reach the opposite wall of the house, we will exit through the glass sliding door to the “back yard”, that is, to the back yard.
A typical home has doors to the front yard and back yard. Photo realtor.com
A microwave oven is attached to the wall above the stove - this is often done now. This seems inconvenient to me, because it is simply dangerous to lower the hot stuff from above. There must be lighting above the stove and a hood with a fan at 2 speeds.
When renting out a house, as a rule, everything is already built in, except for the refrigerator. Or maybe they are already building in a refrigerator. To the right of the sink is a dishwasher - “dish washer”. A garbage shredder - a “disposal” - is necessarily built into the sink itself.
In the kitchen there is a door to the basement or “basement”. Builders usually rent it out with cement walls. But you can turn this basement into candy. For example, like this:
The basement is arranged as the owners' imagination dictates. Photo realtor.com
Usually in the basement suspended ceilings, and to the right and left there are long white doors - these are built-in storage rooms. In general, I didn’t see anything in the basements: bars, game rooms, gyms, workshops.
Let's go back to the first floor. Here, in addition to the hall with the kitchen, there are other rooms. Some have done game room for children. Often one of these side rooms has a fireplace, TV and armchairs.
Classic lounge. Photo realtor.com
This is a classic of the genre - a relaxation room with a fireplace and a TV on the wall. And in this picture there is already the second floor - one of the bedrooms.
Master bedroom. Photo realtor.com
Most likely, this is the parent's bedroom, that is, the “master bedroom”. It differs in that it comes with its own toilet and bathtub. There is often a double sink there, so as not to quarrel in the morning.
Photo realtor.com
All toilets must have ventilation. Turns on next to the light. The remaining bedrooms (children's) have a shared toilet. Americans always try to ensure that each child has his own room.
A mandatory room in a typical American home is the “landry room,” that is, the room in which the washing machine and dryer are located.
Photo realtor.com
This room is small, just outside the door from the garage. Finally, look at the back of this house.
Photo realtor.com
Apparently, the bedrooms here are small. On the ground floor there is a small kitchen window. They always make him so small.
There are moments that were not included in the photo. Every room must have a smoke detector hanging on the wall or ceiling. And now they are obligated to hang a CO indicator, that is, carbon monoxide. This is the so-called carbon monoxide without color and odor, which is precisely what poisons you if you close the stove too early. All these sensors howl terribly if something is on fire in the house. And they only fall silent when you have thoroughly aired everything out.
These indicators have another unpleasant property. When the battery starts to run low, they beep. At night - that's it! You get up, pull the battery out of it and put a new one in in the morning.
I haven't talked about lighting yet. There are a lot of switches in the house. The simplest example is that you entered the house, turned on the light, undressed and took off your shoes and went straight up to the second floor. There is a second switch there that can be used to turn off the light on the stairs. And there are plenty of such “paired” or even triple switches throughout the house.
Both houses that I described are not far from me and from Chicago. The one I mainly talked about costs about $190 thousand, the second one costs about $170. Approximately, because you can always bargain and come to an agreement.
About how they live in America ordinary people, there are two myths circulating among Russians. Interestingly, they are exactly the opposite of each other. The first can be characterized as follows: “The USA is a country of great opportunity, where a shoemaker can become a millionaire.” And the second myth looks like this: “America is a state of social contrasts. Only the oligarchs live well there, mercilessly exploiting the workers and peasants.” It must be said that both myths are far from the truth. In this article we will not delve into the history of the United States or talk about slavery and racial discrimination that took place a hundred years ago. We will not admire the standard of living of the Soros family or focus on the homeless people sleeping with ventilation grilles metro. We'll just look at how ordinary people live in America now. Let's take an average family: two working parents, three children. Ordinary middle class. By the way, he makes up the lion's share of all US citizens.
Housing
The USA, among all countries in the world, boasts one of the most high levels life of the population. But at the same time, quite a few citizens have a house in full ownership. And even city apartments are preferred by Americans to rent. But a family that considers itself middle class must settle far from dusty cities. White-collar workers get to work by train or car, spending an hour and a half on the road. The house of an ordinary American family is a one-story (for the high middle-class - two-level) cottage with a green lawn in front and an extension-garage, with a spacious backyard, which houses a play area for children or a swimming pool. The area of the house ranges from 150 to 250 square meters, and its cost is from 500 to 650 thousand dollars. Not everyone can just take it and lay it out like this. But here are ordinary people: the standard of living in the United States is quite sufficient to pay off a mortgage. A third of the amount must be paid in advance and taken out a loan for thirty years at 5-10 percent per annum. But! The loss of the job of one of the parents threatens the family with disaster - after all, for the house you need to pay the bank at least two and a half thousand “green” monthly.
Communal payments
Now let's look at how ordinary Americans live in America and what they pay for their mansions besides a loan. So-called townhouses (cottages) are a very expensive business. Although... how to calculate. Ordinary Americans don't bother with housing offices. In the basement of each house there is its own mini-boiler room, which is responsible for heating and heating water. Average bill per public utilities(electricity and gas) - about three hundred dollars. Since the water is served cold, the fee for it is small - about $10. Except utility payments, you need to pay property taxes: $500 - municipal and another $140 - so-called community charges (for garbage removal and cleaning the area adjacent to the house). The lawn in front of the house must be well-groomed - this is the custom here. Don't get around to cutting it yourself? Hire a student and get ready to fork out $60. Mortgage loans obligated to insure real estate. Typically it's $300 per year. In total, you need to pay about three thousand dollars for housing every month.
Food expenses
A caveat needs to be made here. In the US, there is a big difference between so-called “healthy” foods labeled “organic” and conventional ones. Since ordinary people live in America, they tend to save on food. Yes, everyone knows about the dangers of chicken stuffed with growth hormones, as well as unhealthy fast food. But the average middle-class American couple usually shops in wholesale store, buying products with a red “Discount” mark and eating lunch at Starbucks Coffee, McDonald's or a similar establishment fast food. By the way, prices for some products in America are lower than in Russia (especially in Moscow). But eating in restaurants or self-respecting cafes is very expensive. The average middle class family allows themselves this pleasure twice a month. Usually, about four hundred dollars are spent on food - this is if you do not deny yourself anything, and two hundred if you establish a strict economy regime.
Car and spending on other devices
How do ordinary people outside the city live in America? They start their day with and then get behind the wheel of a car. Living without a car in the American countryside is simply suspicious. Every adult is required to have a car - at least a used one. Leasing helps. Moreover, in the event of a breakdown, the company covers the cost of repairs. Thus, monthly payments leasing company for two cars - from 300 to 600 dollars, and gasoline - 150. Cars must be insured. Typically this is two hundred dollars per month per car. But you can reduce the cost of insurance by using a package with a higher price. For Internet and cable television, you need to pay about eighty-five greenbacks per month. No one can tell you how ordinary people who don't have money live in America. mobile phone, since there are practically none there. Even a child visiting kindergarten, has such a device (with a beacon, just in case). A package with unlimited calls will cost about sixty-five dollars per month.
Insurance
Foreigners who observe how ordinary people live in America probably notice that they have a lot of income going to various funds. They are insured against everything: from disability, from the loss of a breadwinner, from weakened visual acuity, in case of problems with teeth, and even for that unforeseen situation if a dog damages a neighbor’s property. Sometimes the policy is paid for by the employer. But after dismissal, it stops working. In total, every month you need to shell out about five hundred dollars per family, enriching various Insurance companies. But in the USA there is a practice... of transferring pensions by inheritance. Every working person pays contributions, which accumulate on his individual card. Americans can use these accumulated funds as they please. After a person’s death, the money does not burn, but, as with a regular deposit, is passed on to inheritance.
Spending on clothes
Another discovery that foreigners can make by observing how ordinary people live in America is that they do not wear expensive things. They usually dress simply and practically. On the street you rarely see a woman wearing high heels. The typical American wears jeans and a jacket in winter, and a T-shirt and shorts in summer. But this does not mean that all US citizens do not know how to dress. It’s just not customary here to show off your income. Casual style reigns here. Branded clothes are worn on occasion. And they buy it easily. The fact is that in America sales never stop. They are timed to coincide with some holidays, but after them the prices drop even more: the collection that was not sold during the sales is sold for next to nothing. Particular excitement reigns during the so-called Black Friday (after Thanksgiving). Then you can buy branded clothing for a price ten times lower than its usual cost. Thus, the average US citizen does not spend much on clothes: up to one hundred dollars a month.
Education
Training in high school USA free. And this debunks the myth that in America you have to shell out money for everything, and a lot of it. By the way, medicine for the poor is also free here. But how does ordinary America live? For kindergarten you need to pay about eight hundred dollars per child. Or for a baby sitter - $10 per hour. An American's income directly depends on his education. Therefore, parents try to “invest in the child’s future” at any cost. To study at a college or institute, they take out loans. Especially highly paid professions in America they are lawyers, managers, doctors. After graduating from university this profile, a young man can count on twenty thousand dollars a month. Bank employees, civil servants, junior medical staff and teachers earn slightly less. But studying at an American university is expensive: from three to ten thousand dollars a year. Although there are also flexible scholarships available here.
Income
This is how they really live simple people Abroad. Huge expenses every month. Where do they get this kind of money? The answer is trivial: they don’t drink and work hard. They don't go out for a smoke break every hour. They are paid not for sitting at work, but for a specific result. And the better it is, the higher the wages will be. This motivation forces Americans to work conscientiously. At the same time, the minimum wage is seven and a half dollars per hour. This is the kind of money paid to teenagers or students on vacation just to walk your dog while you're at work. Cleaning by a visiting housekeeper will already cost one hundred dollars a day. But for that kind of money you need to do more than just vacuum the carpet: wash it, iron it, and polish it.
How do Americans who are private entrepreneurs live?
Private operations in the US can provide good income. The country is so large that if you wish, you can find a niche in any field. Government encourages opening own business and supports it in every possible way, especially if you create new jobs. None bureaucratic delays there should not be any when registering your business. Doing business in America is easy, as long as it is honest.
Although some people believe that typical American houses are built “from cardboard,” we hasten to refute - these buildings are built mainly from the same wood as our traditional housing. The notorious drywall, which, by the way, also consists of cardboard only to a small extent, is widely used exclusively for interior work.
Why in typical houses in the USA they don’t really like to use brickwork, but prefer technology frame construction? The answer is simple: recover from the infamous natural Disasters In US cities, blocks with traditional frame buildings turned out to be simpler.
And here capital houses stood in ruins for a very long time. And it’s not with American mobility to build buildings with complex technical processes, foundation shrinkage and other difficulties, because redevelopment in typical US houses is also carried out literally in a day or two.
A standard building “sandwich” is more reliable in thermal insulation than brickwork. IN wooden frame place mineral wool or foam plastic, with outside secure layers of plywood with vapor barrier film and finished, for example, with plastic siding.
The inner side, with the use of which the decoration of the room comes down to painting or. Where necessary, of course, beams are also installed and other types are used. Wooden elements are well impregnated with special compounds, which significantly affects their service life and fire resistance.
In this way, a small team of up to ten people needs less than a month to build a “box” of a house. Then the plumbers and electricians get to work, and after that the work begins. Large teams are often involved, working on the construction of an entire area. 
If desired, you can handle the construction and on our own, spending three months on it. Interior decoration or remodeling interior design in such a house do not entail any difficulties.
Such a house is not a family mansion, which usually belongs to people with “old” surnames who own large resources. Nobody thinks about leaving the typical American house as an inheritance - it’s easier to sell and repurchase, and work-registration and our other realities do not keep anyone in this country in one place.
Since serious development in the area is advertised in advance, clients can either order a house or purchase a ready-made one. Any options are offered, usually the municipality dictates minor restrictions on the appearance of the building and local area. There is no additional offer here: housing is rented completely ready, maximally suitable for living.
In the American sense, this is tiles already laid on and in the entire house - or another finishing option ordered in advance. The walls are painted discreetly and neatly, absolutely all communications, all sockets, lamps, blinds, fans are fully installed; The kitchen and bathrooms are completely ready for use.
By the way, the actual hallway in such a house is not separated. The main hall in the house combines the central entrance to the house, the dining room, and the kitchen. Unusual to our perception, but convenient. Here, in the living room, you will definitely see a fireplace (it can be either gas or traditional); From here there are doors to other rooms. You won’t see any cracks on the walls or wallpaper pasted at random.
Repairing a home after moving in usually comes down to just... What’s also interesting: the sockets here are partially hidden in the plinth, on which springs are also attached, protecting the walls from door impacts.
If something doesn’t suit you when choosing a house, they will immediately change everything you want - except, of course, load-bearing structures. The fireplace will have to be accepted as it was installed, the cost of the refrigerator will be kitchen set not included - but the stove, dishwasher, kitchen furniture, hoods and sinks you do not pay extra. The kitchen also has a special room - a food room.
There are at least two bathrooms in the house. The “adult” set includes a shower stall and a separate dressing room.
A separate “pampering” is climate control, air conditioning and, of course,. In the garage you will find a boiler: only cold water, You heat it yourself.
Such buildings are quite reliable; now houses built according to the same scheme back in the 60s are quite sold. They are typical for mild climates, when in winter the temperature does not drop below – 5 C.
In the north, other materials are used to build typical American houses, but they will also be built according to frame technology and made of wood.
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Author: This summer we went to the Poconos, about which I wrote several posts, and at the same time we stopped by to look at a house that our good friends were selling. We dream of moving away from New York sometime in the future, closer to nature and all that, and if possible we are exploring various options. Of those more or less nearby, everyone praises Pocono. This is a resort town in Pennsylvania, where quite a lot of Russians live and vacation, and which is considered a fairly popular place for recreation and permanent residence many New Yorkers. Pros: relative proximity to New York (only two hours by car), beautiful nature (mountains), availability of infrastructure (shops, restaurants, etc.), low prices on housing (compared to New York). Of the minuses: relative proximity to New York (as much as two hours by car), lack of railway connections (you can only get there by car or bus), provinciality (this is not New York). Pocono isn't close enough to commute to work every day (although some people do), but it's not so far away that you can't commute to New York a couple times a week if you need to. In general, what we need is if you work at home, have a desire to live in beautiful place outdoors, and at the same time I want to be able to get to New York in a reasonable amount of time.
There are no questions about the place itself. The Poconos are truly a great place to live, with something for everyone to enjoy. There is everything you need for life and recreation: an excellent water park, a bunch of different shops, and shooting clubs, and decent restaurants, and hunting, and fishing, and wild nature, and alpine skiing, and so on, and the like. This is certainly not New York, but it’s hard to call this place a wilderness. A sort of village with minute transport accessibility to urban civilization. Pennsylvania also has more relaxed laws and you can, for example, own a gun without any problems. You can even buy black bread and boiled sausage - the Poles sell it (for some reason I have a special attachment to these products). Car insurance there is much lower than in New York, many Russians buy land or a house there, and then drive around New York with Pennsylvania license plates (this is illegal, but if you are careful, it is possible). Pocono also compares very favorably with New York in terms of real estate prices. If in New York there is nothing to catch with $100,000 in your pocket, then in Pocono you can already look for something. With two hundred thousand dollars, you can choose pickyly. With three you can start making your childhood dreams come true.
Our friends are selling a house located in a closed community. A fairly popular format for living outside the city, which can be compared to a gardening partnership. Limited territory in which people live in accordance with additional rules and agreements. This is both good and bad. It’s good that you live in an area that is guarded, cleaned and lives according to certain laws. It’s bad that you have to pay extra for this and you have to obey these laws. But here everyone chooses what they like.
Central community road.
This community, for example, has its own beach, a swimming pool with a restaurant and a luxurious children's playground. The entrances are guarded, and the territory is patrolled around the clock by the local security service, which replaces the police in its functions. Among the disadvantages of such a life, for example, the speed limit is 15 miles in the territory.
I like living in a house outside the city, and I have decent experience - I lived in own home in gardening near St. Petersburg. True, it will not be possible to adequately compare, Russian reality is too different from American reality.
One could only dream of such roads in our gardening. The limit is to chip in with your neighbors for a KamAZ truck of crushed stone for backfilling. All the roads here are like this, and no one rushes along them. The local security guards' favorite pastime is catching people for speeding.
The house is a classic frame house, standing on strip foundation and covered with siding. Everything here is like in Russia, except for the decorative external doors. I would also make a canopy over the porch. But here the climate is better and the canopy is not so relevant.
In America they really like to make terraces. It's called damage. This house is no exception.
The damage is obvious better than gazebos or bare land, but in Russia such a use of space would be considered wasteful and made covered veranda.
In America, the rules of life are slightly different and, in addition to the desire to increase the area of the house, there is also a reasonable attitude towards property taxes and difficulties with permits for any construction works. You, for example, can be a super builder, but you will never be able to build a house yourself unless you have the appropriate license. So the terrace is something you can do yourself, but the veranda covered on all sides is no longer there.
These are neighboring houses. Everything here is like in gardening. Everything is in plain sight. Except that no one puts up fences.
But if you look only back, there will be a forest and no neighbors. Not everyone has this look, of course.
You can find living creatures in the bushes on the site. She grazes along the roads and sometimes jumps right under the wheels.
The living creatures are larger. The presence of a person a meter away from her did not bother the living creatures at all.
Inside the house. Entrance door with glass. Not a very popular solution for Russian life. A door in Russia must be iron and impregnable. In America, security is not an issue at all. The lock on the door to the house is no different from the cabinet lock inside a Russian office.
In the USA, all new houses are sold with finishing, equipped kitchens and bathrooms. This is a standard kitchen with a stove, refrigerator and dishwasher. By local standards, parquet is considered not so cool, but kind of an advantage. Here it is made of bamboo. I've always had a soft spot for windows opposite the sink.
The house is small by American standards. But I'm all for these sizes. Cleaning and heating such a house is easier and cheaper than a three-story mansion. I'm silent about taxes.
Living room with gas fireplace. I have a question about the wisdom of using a gas fireplace, but the owners say that it heats well and does not burn oxygen. Let's take their word for it. Also incredibly popular in America ceiling fans. Cool stuff actually. They say that the Poconos are not as hot as New York, and you can live here without air conditioning. Of course, I don’t believe them, but there really aren’t as many air conditioners in houses as we have.
The bathroom is really equipped with fittings and furniture. All you need to do when moving into such a house is just to buy furniture for your rooms.
One of the rooms. In total the house has 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms. On the floor popular in the USA carpet covering. Heating is provided electric convectors.
The classic American window, which I already wrote about.
